Dreams are successions of images, sounds, or emotions that our minds experience during sleep. We can dream about anything really; our families and friends, sports, school, things that we want, even things that seem completely random and inexplicable. We experience many different emotions during our dreams from anxiety and fear to joy and relief. Oneirologists are scientists who study dreams and research the correlations between dreaming and what current knowledge we have about the functions of the brain. Even though oneirologists have discovered much about what happens in the brain chemically when we dream, there is still a lot that is unknown regarding the purpose of dreams as well as other aspects.
Sleep comes in stages
It goes without saying that when we're dreaming, we are asleep. While we sleep, our brains experience five different sleep stages in a repeating cycle.
Stage 1) This stage is a light sleep that makes up 4-5% of our total sleep, during which we are easily awaken.
Stage 2) This is a transition stage where our brains begin to enter a deeper sleep and it makes up 45-55% of our total sleep.
Stage 3 and 4) These stages represent our deepest sleep and make up 4-6% of our total sleep. During this deep sleep, our brains are experiencing nothing but a type of brain wave called delta brain waves. Delta brain waves are the slowest type of brain waves and are believed to originate in the thalamus structure within the brain which is situated between the cerebral cortex and mid-brain.
*The red arrow is pointing to the thalamus*
Stages 1-4 are referred to as non-REM sleep. Read below for a definition of REM sleep. non-REM sleep differs from REM sleep in that the activity of the brain is much less.
Stage 5) The final sleep stage that we experience through our sleep cycle is known as REM sleep. This is the stage where we dream! REM stands for "rapid eye movement" During this stage our brains are very active and if you were to measure your brain waves they would be nearly the same as when you're awake. REM sleep occurs every 90 minutes (sleep is a cycle) and lasts from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. Because our brains are so active, they produce a succession of images, or dreams. Physiological changes during REM sleep: During REM sleep, the physiological changes that occur are such as our heart rates and breath rates increase, our blood pressures rise, and our brain activity increases significantly. Even though our brains are incredibly active, our bodies are essentially paralyzed during REM sleep by the release of an amino acid called glycine. Because REM sleep is the stage where our dreams occur, it is believed that our brain releases glycine so that we don't physically act out our dreams, as this could cause harm to both ourselves and anyone near us.
This is a basic chart of what different brain waves look like on a monitor as well as their functions. Delta brain waves are represented in green and are shown as having less "bumps" and they visibly appear slower and calmer. As mentioned earlier, delta brain waves encompass a deep, dreamless sleep stage.
Where do our dreams come from?
I found this really interesting article on research being directed by Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School on how the brain turns real events into our dreams. Have you noticed how while you’re in your dream everything makes perfect sense, but then once you’re awake you can't make any sense of them. Dreams make sense while we’re in them, but then can seem ridiculous looking back on them. Scientists have supposed that things that happen in our dreams come from recent experiences in our lives which is stored in our “declarative memory”. Your declarative memory stores information that you know for sure and can “declare” like your friend’s name and that 2+2=4. Stickgold’s research focuses on amnesiacs, or people suffering from permanent amnesia, and how they dream. Amnesiacs are unable to store memories and new events (which would be considered declarative memory) because the part of the brain that performs this function has been damaged (hippocampus.) If scientists' belief that our dreams come from our declarative memory, which amnesiacs don’t have, than they shouldn’t be able to dream. This is not true though, because amnesiacs do dream, the difference is that they just don’t recognize what it is that they’re dreaming about. The participants in the study, every day for several hours, played the computer game Tetris (with the falling blocks). The amnesiacs participating described dreaming about the falling blocks, however they didn’t remember playing the game. The other group of participants with normal healthy memories reported seeing the same Tetris images in their dreams. Stickgold’s team therefore concluded that our dreams come from our “implicit memories” which are memories that amnesiacs have. These memories are for example when you learn to ride a bike and then are able to ride a bike later on, or typing on a keyboard without looking at it. Here’s the link to the article itself: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077505/ns/technology_and_science-science/
Interview with psychiatrist Dr. Ruth Fischer:
SK: Hi Dr. Fischer, My name is Sophie Kotik and I'm a sophomore in Mr. Fischer's 10th grade english course at BHS. For an assignment we're working on we were supposed to come up with a research question on a topic that interested us and to research it. For part of our final presentation of our research we need to have an interview with an "expert" on our topic. My research question had to do with dreams and what happens in the brain while we dream, and Mr. Fischer suggested that I email you to see if you could help me with some new information as well as partake in an email interview for my assignment. I would really appreciate your help! Thank you. RF: Sophie, I would be delighted to help you with this project. I am not an expert on what happens in the brain but will do my best with that part. My expertise is in what dreams tells us about what's going on in our minds (vs. brains). If you think that this will be helpful, please contact me. SK: That would be so helpful thank you! I guess to just start off what is it that dreams tell us about what's going on in our minds? And what difference is there in what dreams tell us about our minds vs. our brains? RF:The brain is the organ in which messages are received, connections are made with other areas of the brain and sent out. When you look at a tree, the eye transmits signals to the part of the brain that is capable of receiving the signal - in the back of the brain. Messages are then sent to various parts of the brain to translate the image: color, form, context. These are then put together in another part of the brain and understood as "tree". There is a connection to the prefrontal cortex which is the most advanced part where the most sophisticated input takes place. Signals are also sent deep in the brain where the most primitive brain resides and emotional input is accessed. The brain is an organ. The mind is not. It is that that does the thinking as opposed to making the connections of nerve cells. (You can see that this is not a simple distinction although an important one) Thinking is influenced by both conscious (that which we are aware of) and unconscious ( unaware) content. People have different ideas about dreams. Some say they are meaningless. Others say they are just electrical or neurological or chemical signals (the brain) as a result of the days activity. I find they are helpful in understanding what the individual is dealing with if and when they can be decoded. It is the dreamer that must decode the dream for only the dreamer really knows what it's about. Some feel there are universal symbols in dreams. For example: teeth have to do with aggression, phallic shaped objects - well that's obvious, pocket books - vaginas. I say, probably but not always. Children often dream of animals that represent people. Angry, attacking, scary animals when they are feeling angry and fearing retaliation. When one thinks about a dream, one can sometimes think about what happened yesterday and what that made us think about - where our mind went. This is all mind, not brain. A common dream is of coming to a class unprepared for an exam. On waking, you realize I already took that class and did fine. This is often a way of reassuring oneself about an upcoming event that one fears. Hope this is helpful as a start. I'm open to continuing the discussion. Let me know what you think. Dr Ruth Fischer. SK: This information is so helpful and unlike anything that I've come across through my general research. I've looked a lot into the chemical process that occurs with dreams (the brain) rather than the thinking aspects and what dreams can mean (mind). This distinction I feel like is often overlooked but your wording made it much clearer than anything I've been told before. I'm a little bit confused about what you mean about the "tree"; are you referring to how everything appears to work in the brain if you were to draw connections between them or something else? In my research I also looked a bit into nightmares and how they differ in the brain but kind of came up short. What triggers somebody to have nightmares verses dreams? Thank you again, Sophie Kotik RF:Sophie, Glad you found this helpful. You understood me about the tree. The eye registers blips, the brain makes connections and the mind has the understanding. Nightmares are interesting. They occur when the emotions elicited by the issues with which the mind is contending are overwhelming (and frightening). This may lead to waking up from the dream as a way of bringing it to an end. Under less optimal circumstances, a nightmare occurs. This is more frequent in children who are less capable of ending the dream or too deeply asleep to awaken themselves. Dreams are frequently a way of mastering painful or difficult experiences - as with the examination dream or as young children play dentist on friends or sibs or dolls after they have been to the dentist and are somewhat overwhelmed by the experience - they have to sit passively when the dentist actively explores their mouth. Dr. Fischer SK: Thank you so much Dr. Fischer for taking the time to help me with this project! I have a much better understanding of dreams and the mind vs. the brain now. When my project is complete I can send you the link to it if you like. I really appreciate your help, Sophie Kotik RF:Sophie, Glad I could be of some help. I'd love it if you'd send me the link. Good luck going forward. If I can be of some further help, please feel free to contact me. If I am in your neighborhood, I would love to meet you. I look forward to that. Dr Fischer
If you're interested in learning more about dreams you can refer to these links to websites, blogs, and encyclopedia pages that I used in creating my blog as well as this wikipage:
Dreams are successions of images, sounds, or emotions that our minds experience during sleep. We can dream about anything really; our families and friends, sports, school, things that we want, even things that seem completely random and inexplicable. We experience many different emotions during our dreams from anxiety and fear to joy and relief. Oneirologists are scientists who study dreams and research the correlations between dreaming and what current knowledge we have about the functions of the brain. Even though oneirologists have discovered much about what happens in the brain chemically when we dream, there is still a lot that is unknown regarding the purpose of dreams as well as other aspects.
Sleep comes in stages
It goes without saying that when we're dreaming, we are asleep. While we sleep, our brains experience five different sleep stages in a repeating cycle.
Stage 1) This stage is a light sleep that makes up 4-5% of our total sleep, during which we are easily awaken.
Stage 2) This is a transition stage where our brains begin to enter a deeper sleep and it makes up 45-55% of our total sleep.
Stage 3 and 4) These stages represent our deepest sleep and make up 4-6% of our total sleep. During this deep sleep, our brains are experiencing nothing but a type of brain wave called delta brain waves. Delta brain waves are the slowest type of brain waves and are believed to originate in the thalamus structure within the brain which is situated between the cerebral cortex and mid-brain.
*The red arrow is pointing to the thalamus*
Stages 1-4 are referred to as non-REM sleep. Read below for a definition of REM sleep. non-REM sleep differs from REM sleep in that the activity of the brain is much less.
Stage 5) The final sleep stage that we experience through our sleep cycle is known as REM sleep. This is the stage where we dream! REM stands for "rapid eye movement" During this stage our brains are very active and if you were to measure your brain waves they would be nearly the same as when you're awake. REM sleep occurs every 90 minutes (sleep is a cycle) and lasts from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. Because our brains are so active, they produce a succession of images, or dreams.
Physiological changes during REM sleep: During REM sleep, the physiological changes that occur are such as our heart rates and breath rates increase, our blood pressures rise, and our brain activity increases significantly. Even though our brains are incredibly active, our bodies are essentially paralyzed during REM sleep by the release of an amino acid called glycine. Because REM sleep is the stage where our dreams occur, it is believed that our brain releases glycine so that we don't physically act out our dreams, as this could cause harm to both ourselves and anyone near us.
This is a basic chart of what different brain waves look like on a monitor as well as their functions. Delta brain waves are represented in green and are shown as having less "bumps" and they visibly appear slower and calmer. As mentioned earlier, delta brain waves encompass a deep, dreamless sleep stage.
Where do our dreams come from?
I found this really interesting article on research being directed by Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School on how the brain turns real events into our dreams. Have you noticed how while you’re in your dream everything makes perfect sense, but then once you’re awake you can't make any sense of them. Dreams make sense while we’re in them, but then can seem ridiculous looking back on them. Scientists have supposed that things that happen in our dreams come from recent experiences in our lives which is stored in our “declarative memory”. Your declarative memory stores information that you know for sure and can “declare” like your friend’s name and that 2+2=4. Stickgold’s research focuses on amnesiacs, or people suffering from permanent amnesia, and how they dream. Amnesiacs are unable to store memories and new events (which would be considered declarative memory) because the part of the brain that performs this function has been damaged (hippocampus.) If scientists' belief that our dreams come from our declarative memory, which amnesiacs don’t have, than they shouldn’t be able to dream. This is not true though, because amnesiacs do dream, the difference is that they just don’t recognize what it is that they’re dreaming about. The participants in the study, every day for several hours, played the computer game Tetris (with the falling blocks). The amnesiacs participating described dreaming about the falling blocks, however they didn’t remember playing the game. The other group of participants with normal healthy memories reported seeing the same Tetris images in their dreams. Stickgold’s team therefore concluded that our dreams come from our “implicit memories” which are memories that amnesiacs have. These memories are for example when you learn to ride a bike and then are able to ride a bike later on, or typing on a keyboard without looking at it. Here’s the link to the article itself: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077505/ns/technology_and_science-science/
Interview with psychiatrist Dr. Ruth Fischer:
SK: Hi Dr. Fischer, My name is Sophie Kotik and I'm a sophomore in Mr. Fischer's 10th grade english course at BHS. For an assignment we're working on we were supposed to come up with a research question on a topic that interested us and to research it. For part of our final presentation of our research we need to have an interview with an "expert" on our topic. My research question had to do with dreams and what happens in the brain while we dream, and Mr. Fischer suggested that I email you to see if you could help me with some new information as well as partake in an email interview for my assignment. I would really appreciate your help! Thank you.
RF: Sophie, I would be delighted to help you with this project. I am not an expert on what happens in the brain but will do my best with that part. My expertise is in what dreams tells us about what's going on in our minds (vs. brains). If you think that this will be helpful, please contact me.
SK: That would be so helpful thank you! I guess to just start off what is it that dreams tell us about what's going on in our minds? And what difference is there in what dreams tell us about our minds vs. our brains?
RF: The brain is the organ in which messages are received, connections are made with other areas of the brain and sent out. When you look at a tree, the eye transmits signals to the part of the brain that is capable of receiving the signal - in the back of the brain. Messages are then sent to various parts of the brain to translate the image: color, form, context. These are then put together in another part of the brain and understood as "tree". There is a connection to the prefrontal cortex which is the most advanced part where the most sophisticated input takes place. Signals are also sent deep in the brain where the most primitive brain resides and emotional input is accessed. The brain is an organ. The mind is not. It is that that does the thinking as opposed to making the connections of nerve cells. (You can see that this is not a simple distinction although an important one) Thinking is influenced by both conscious (that which we are aware of) and unconscious ( unaware) content. People have different ideas about dreams. Some say they are meaningless. Others say they are just electrical or neurological or chemical signals (the brain) as a result of the days activity. I find they are helpful in understanding what the individual is dealing with if and when they can be decoded. It is the dreamer that must decode the dream for only the dreamer really knows what it's about. Some feel there are universal symbols in dreams. For example: teeth have to do with aggression, phallic shaped objects - well that's obvious, pocket books - vaginas. I say, probably but not always. Children often dream of animals that represent people. Angry, attacking, scary animals when they are feeling angry and fearing retaliation. When one thinks about a dream, one can sometimes think about what happened yesterday and what that made us think about - where our mind went. This is all mind, not brain. A common dream is of coming to a class unprepared for an exam. On waking, you realize I already took that class and did fine. This is often a way of reassuring oneself about an upcoming event that one fears. Hope this is helpful as a start. I'm open to continuing the discussion. Let me know what you think. Dr Ruth Fischer.
SK: This information is so helpful and unlike anything that I've come across through my general research. I've looked a lot into the chemical process that occurs with dreams (the brain) rather than the thinking aspects and what dreams can mean (mind). This distinction I feel like is often overlooked but your wording made it much clearer than anything I've been told before. I'm a little bit confused about what you mean about the "tree"; are you referring to how everything appears to work in the brain if you were to draw connections between them or something else? In my research I also looked a bit into nightmares and how they differ in the brain but kind of came up short. What triggers somebody to have nightmares verses dreams? Thank you again, Sophie Kotik
RF: Sophie, Glad you found this helpful. You understood me about the tree. The eye registers blips, the brain makes connections and the mind has the understanding. Nightmares are interesting. They occur when the emotions elicited by the issues with which the mind is contending are overwhelming (and frightening). This may lead to waking up from the dream as a way of bringing it to an end. Under less optimal circumstances, a nightmare occurs. This is more frequent in children who are less capable of ending the dream or too deeply asleep to awaken themselves. Dreams are frequently a way of mastering painful or difficult experiences - as with the examination dream or as young children play dentist on friends or sibs or dolls after they have been to the dentist and are somewhat overwhelmed by the experience - they have to sit passively when the dentist actively explores their mouth. Dr. Fischer
SK: Thank you so much Dr. Fischer for taking the time to help me with this project! I have a much better understanding of dreams and the mind vs. the brain now. When my project is complete I can send you the link to it if you like. I really appreciate your help, Sophie Kotik
RF: Sophie, Glad I could be of some help. I'd love it if you'd send me the link. Good luck going forward. If I can be of some further help, please feel free to contact me. If I am in your neighborhood, I would love to meet you. I look forward to that. Dr Fischer
If you're interested in learning more about dreams you can refer to these links to websites, blogs, and encyclopedia pages that I used in creating my blog as well as this wikipage:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/27597
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/why-we-need-to-dream/
http://blogs.medindia.net/lifestyle-wellness/what-causes-dreams/
http://worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar166440&st=dreams
http://worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar391520&st=dreams
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/171188/dream